Auntie Ethel

Overview

Combat

Auntie Ethel is a fussy trader of potions, lotions, quirks, and sundries who can be first encountered in The Hollow of the Emerald Grove. Later, she will return to her home at the Riverside Teahouse in the Sunlit Wetlands.

Involvement

Act One

In the Druid Grove

Auntie Ethel can be found in the The Hollow in the Emerald Grove, peddling "Potions and Lotions" to the Tiefling refugees. Upon first speaking, she quickly notices something is awry with the party and invites them to visit her at her home, the Riverside Teahouse.

While in the Emerald Grove she is also a trader. If reaching the Sunlit Wetlands, Auntie Ethel moves from the Emerald Grove and appears in the Wetlands, and then eventually at the Teahouse.

If first interacting with Pandirna in the storage house next to the Emerald Grove jail, she tells the party Auntie Ethel gave her a potion to make her "strong and brave as a bugbear," but left her paralyzed instead. Following this interaction, Auntie Ethel is no longer at her shop in the Emerald Grove.

If attacked or successfully pickpocketed while in the Emerald Grove, Ethel exclaims, "Blast it all! I'm going home." and leaves for the Riverside Teahouse.

In the Sunlit Wetlands

When first entering the Sunlit Wetlands from the east, Johl and his brother Demir can be encountered asking Auntie Ethel where their sister Mayrina is, and accusing Ethel of having taken her.

The party can talk with the group to learn more: Mayrina has disappeared and the last person to see her was Ethel. Throughout the encounter, Demir is pleading with her while she insists that she is blameless, but willing to help them look for her.

Eventually, the party is forced to take sides. If siding with Auntie Ethel, Demir and Johl accuse the party of working with her and attack. If not siding with Ethel, she chastises them and disappears in a burst of magic. The party can then talk to the two brothers and attempt to convince them not to follow her into the swamp, which is futile.

In the Riverside Teahouse

If entering the Teahouse, Auntie Ethel is found forcing Mayrina to eat. If seeking Ethel's  help to remove the tadpole, she states her price: the player character must give up an eye in exchange for her removing the Tadpole.

If accepting her bargain, she reverts to her hag form, asks the player character to choose which eye to surrender and begins the procedure to remove the tadpole, only to soon stop and declare it has been modified by ancient Netherese magic. Having already  Paid the Price, she refuses to reverse it despite failing to cure the player character. Allowing Auntie Ethel to take an eye of the player character irrevocably changes the appearance of the chosen eye. It cannot be removed and its appearance cannot be changed with the Magic Mirror. It is not possible to take this deal if Volo has already replaced one of the player character's eyes or Wyll is chosen as origin.

If not accepting her bargain, and instead insisting to  Save Mayrina, then Ethel eventually reveals her true form and starts a combat, calling the redcaps from outside the teahouse to her side. During the fight Ethel first consumes a Potion of Invisibility, and then disappears through her fireplace in the teahouse.

To save Mayrina the party must follow Ethel and infiltrate her lair in the Overgrown Tunnel. In her lair the victims and thralls of the hag can be found. Some of them may be freed, some of them must be fought and others are lost for ever.

Eventually Mayrina is found in a cage in the Ancient Abode and can by saved by defeating Ethel. Alternatively it is possible to make a deal with Ethel, to acquire Auntie Ethel's Hair after which she disappears.

Act Three

In the Blushing Mermaid

If killed in Act One, Auntie Ethel nevertheless reappears in her Hag form during the  Help the Hag Survivors,  Avenge the Hag Survivors, and  Save Vanra questlines. She can be found posing as Captain Grisly in The Blushing Mermaid in Lower City. Her lair is located under this tavern and can be infiltrated through the basement.

It is revealed that she is functionally unkillable while her life force is invested in her magic mushrooms, which is how she survived being killed during Act One. If killed previously, she is more hostile to the party, preventing them from demanding a counter-offer to leave her alone. However, this does not prevent her from being acquired as an Ally for  Gather Your Allies if Lora is killed and Auntie Ethel is left to her schemes.

It is recommended to begin the quest  Save Vanra by speaking with Lora prior to completing the Hag Survivors questlines and defeating the Hag. Failure to get this quest from Lora directly, even if Vanra is saved, will lock the party out of its quest rewards.

Combat

Main article: Auntie Ethel/Combat

Related literature

• Hag Spy's Note
• I Can Save Your Child
• Letter from Auntie Ethel
• Letter from 'M'
• Letter from Ethel
• Letter to Ethel
• Loving Note
• Report on Old Garlow's
• Report on Old Garlow's (Mayrina dead)
• You Deserve To Feel Beautiful

Related quests

•  Avenge the Hag Survivors
•  Find a Cure
  •  Get Help from Auntie Ethel
•  Help the Hag Survivors
•  Save Mayrina
•  Save Vanra

Items sold

• Corellon's Grace

The following items are restocked after a long rest:

• Elixir of Fire Resistance
• Elixir of Hill Giant Strength
• Potion of Greater Healing
• Potion of Healing
• Potion of Invisibility
• Water

She also possibly sells the following alchemical ingredients:

• Autumncrocus
• Balsam
• Belladonna
• Daggerroot
• Mergrass
• Mugwort
• Weavemoss

Items of following trader tables are possibly sold by Auntie Ethel:

• Rare Mushroom Supply Table
• Tiny Trader Table

Loot

Act One

• Auntie Ethel's Charm
• Auntie Ethel's Hair (obtained through mid-combat dialogue)
• Tarnished Charm

Act Three

• Ring of Feywild Sparks

Speak with Dead

If killed, Ethel's body can be spoken to using  Speak with Dead. Ethel is unique in that her Speak with Dead dialogue changes depending on whether she still has the Tarnished Charm on her corpse when talking to her. Unlike most corpses, she will be willing (if angry) to speak to her killer.

With Tarnished Charm

*A charm on the hag's body flashes a faint glow.*

• Auntie Ethel: ARGH. You knuckle-dragging gobshite.

Auntie Ethel: You will bleed - you will choke on your own guts for this. (if the caster is Ethel's killer)

• Auntie Ethel: ARGH. Where is the knuckle-dragging gobshite that killed me? (if the caster is not Ethel's killer)

• Party member: You're quite lively for a corpse.

• Auntie Ethel: I'm a hag, you little snot - you think I didn't plan for this? Death and I are old friends.

Auntie Ethel: But I won't be a corpse forever - that I can bloody promise you.

• Party member: Tell me the truth - what did you want with Mayrina?

• Auntie Ethel: I didn't want the girl, sweetie. I wanted her babe.

Auntie Ethel: I would have gobbled it up and given birth to my very own hag daughter.

Auntie Ethel: From my guts she would've come - my blood, my bile. It would have been glorious.

• Party member: Does being dead bother you? (if the caster is not Ethel's killer)

• Auntie Ethel: You think this is the first time? I've found my way back before, and I will again.

Auntie Ethel: And then I will make the cretin beg, plead, weep for what will always be denied...

Auntie Ethel: ...The sweet release of death.

• Party member: You're dead and I'm not. Deal with it. (if the caster is Ethel's killer)

• Auntie Ethel: For now.

• Party member: Why are you so cruel?

• Auntie Ethel: Please. It's you lot who come to me. All you do is want - to be prettier, to be richer, to be loved.

Auntie Ethel: People are their own worst enemies, petal. I just let them see it.

• Party member: What deal did you make with Mayrina?

• Auntie Ethel: The brat's husband is dead. So sad.

Auntie Ethel: She wanted me to bring him back to life. Little fool thought it would fix everything.

• Party member: Do you have any regrets? (if the caster is not Ethel's killer)

• Auntie Ethel: Only one.

Auntie Ethel: And you'll never know.

• Party member: Do you have any regrets? (if the caster is Ethel's killer)

• Auntie Ethel: Only that I don't get to see the flesh melt from your bones, your guts dissolve, and your brain liquefy as you turn into a mind flayer.

Auntie Ethel: You'll weep, you'll beg, you'll plead - anything to make it stop. And once you stand tall, proud and tentacled?

Auntie Ethel: You'll butcher your friends and your loved ones LIKE THE ILLITHID SCUM YOU ARE.

Without Tarnished Charm

Auntie Ethel: Bleed... choke on... your guts... (if the caster is Ethel's killer)

Auntie Ethel: Kill them... kill them... all... (if the caster is not Ethel's killer)

• Party member: Why did you want Mayrina?

• Auntie Ethel: Didn't want... the girl... wanted her... babe.

Auntie Ethel: ... was going to... eat it... and make a... hag daughter...

• Party member: Are you the only hag around here?

• Auntie Ethel: Where there's people... there's... hags.

• Party member: Where do you keep your valuables?

• Auntie Ethel: In my... workroom...

• Party member: Why are you so cruel?

• Auntie Ethel: Not me... that's cruel. It's... people.

Auntie Ethel: They want... and want... and want. I merely... give.

Gallery

• 

  Ethel's human model

• 

  Ethel's hag model

• 

  Ethel with child

• 

  Auntie Ethel's true form